In a shelter room in the Zaporizhzhia region, children sit around a table and paint. For a moment, the sirens outside feel far away – all that matters is the story taking shape on paper.
Children in Ukraine have been living with air raid alerts, uncertainty and loss for years. This chronic stress leaves its mark: many children sleep poorly, are tense or withdraw from those around them.
How Art Therapy Helps
Art therapy gives children a protected space where they can express feelings for which they have no words yet. When fear and grief move outward onto paper, they lose some of their weight – and step by step, children begin to regain a sense of agency and hope.
Our Partner School
Our partner school is located in a rural area of the Zaporizhzhia region. Thanks to support from Switzerland, children have access to laptops and can continue learning online when needed; the shelter room provides space for classes when an alert means they cannot go home.
A team of educators accompanies the children in small groups on-site. A children’s photo club that we founded together documents these moments and shows that, despite the war, creativity, community and resilience continue to grow.
What Your Donation Makes Possible
Your donation gives children in Zaporizhzhia more than materials – it gives them a protected hour in which the war becomes a little quieter.
- CHF 5 – makes one art therapy session possible for one child, including colours, paper and professional guidance.
- CHF 50 – enables two sessions in one week, creating several moments in which children can breathe, paint and feel safe together.
- CHF 100 – finances four sessions for a group of up to 20 children, giving them regular support over an entire month.
- CHF 250 – provides ten sessions for up to 50 children, securing a full programme term and continuity for a whole group.
How You Can Help
Your donation helps turn an hour in the shelter into an hour filled with colours, stories and gentle support for children in Zaporizhzhia. By donating or sharing this project within your network, you help ensure that children have a safe space to process their experiences through art.
Donate with a reference “Art Therapy”!
Photo: Mariya Solomko
